Alice Ball (1892 - 1916)

In her short life, African-American chemist Alice Ball revolutionized treatment for leprosy.

While there, Dr. Harry Hollmann asked her for assistance analyzing chaulmoogra oil, which had shown promise as a treatment for leprosy — the cause of a growing public health crisis in Hawaii — but was difficult to use effectively. Ball developed a way to isolate the active ingredients of the oil, allowing them to be injected. Ball died of an illness before she could publish her results, and another chemist later published without giving Ball credit.

Fortunately, Hollmann ensured her name would be remembered, publicly declaring, “After a great amount of experimental work, Miss Ball solved the problem for me... [this preparation is known as]... the Ball Method.” Ball's treatment remained the best option for leprosy patients until the mid-1940s, and today, Hawaii recognizes the impact of her work by celebrating Alice Ball Day every four years on February 29.

Her grandfather, James Ball Sr., was a famous photographer, and one of the first Black Americans in the United States to make use of the early photography method daguerreotypy.

Known for
developed an injectable herbal extract (ethyl hydnocarpate) that was the most effective treatment for leprosy during the early 20th century

First woman and first African American to receive a Master’s degree at the University of Hawaii

In March 2016, Hawaiʻi Magazine ranked Ball in a list of the most influential women in Hawaiian history.

A new park in Seattle's Greenwood neighborhood will be named after Ball.

Find more
Wikipedia